


Mutatis Mutandis

by guineamania



Series: GYWO Bingo [7]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Gen, Genetic Engineering, Pre-Series, mutations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-09
Updated: 2015-11-09
Packaged: 2018-04-30 19:34:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5177114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guineamania/pseuds/guineamania
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter gets called in on a case to find a missing Mutand. He does usually deal with the genetically modified slaves but this one is special. This one is James Bonds</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mutatis Mutandis

**Author's Note:**

> For the Biopunk space on my GYWO Bingo Card

"Neal Caffrey, an example of the Genome Project gone wrong," Hughes explained standing in front of his personally selected team of agents. Peter was confused as to why he was there, surely an escaped experiment was under the jurisdiction of the Mutandis division not White Collar. "Dr Moreau used to be one of the world's best geneticists until he lost his mind and was fired from his position. However we believe he managed to get his hands on some equipment and began his own research. Neal is as far as we know, the only survivor of his work. However as he has not been raised the same way as other Muts, he has gone on a crime spree stealing paintings, sculptures and bonds," Hughes continued, answering Peter's question as to why he was here. They clearly needed someone in White Collar to try and track the art. It was also widely known that Peter was not the Genome Project's biggest fan. About ten years ago, scientists discovered how to alter the human genome to make improved programmable humans. They called them Mutands; controlled mutations but most people just called them Muts. It was fast discovered that there was a massive profit to be made by creating Muts specifically for jobs humans didn't want to do. Soon there was a Mut cleaning your toilet and another cooking in a fast food chain. In human nature the next logical step was slavery. The best part was that the Muts were trained for this, they would never talk back, never run, never question their lot in life. It was seemingly perfect.

 

But Dr Moreau wasn't satisfied. Peter flicked open Neal's file and winced at the picture that greeted him. Neal's face was unnaturally pale with hollowed out cheeks and a dead look in his eye. It was explained that Dr Moreau delighted in programming his Muts to be obedient and then torturing them, abusing them to see if there was a breaking point to their loyalty. Most of the time there wasn't. Most of the time the Mut died before condemning their master. But Neal was different. Dr Moreau had out done himself, Neal was physically perfect and was clever. He was too clever to be unfailingly loyal to his creator. He learnt from watching his brothers and sisters die; he learnt that his creator wasn't all there was to life. And Neal wanted more. So he had run, and become a criminal. "We need to bring him in, alive and unharmed," one of the Mutandis division spoke up. "For years we have been trying to take down Moreau but without a witness statement the circumstantial evidence we had was never enough. None of his other Muts would betray him. Neal is our only chance."

 

Peter’s jaw dropped even further as he read through the whole file. Neal Caffrey wasn’t just any old thief, he was James Bonds. James Bonds, the thief Peter had been chasing for three years. It all made so much more sense now, that was how Neal had managed to avoid them for much longer than everyone anticipated. If Neal could jump between human and Mut then no one would notice him. When people were looking for a human conman they would not be looking at any Muts and on the other side he was allowed into places a Mut wouldn’t be. He was clever, much cleverer than the Mutandis division gave him credit for. “Peter, you are one of our best investigators, if there anything you can tell us from reading his file?” one of the other agents questioned.

“I know him, I know where he will be and how to catch him,” Peter smirked, basking in the shocked stares.

 

Kate Moreau was still in their custody; she had turned herself in and offered to help them catch Neal. “I need you to tell me everything Kate. I know you are doing this for Neal’s own good. I can’t protect him if I don’t know what he is,” Peter asked sitting across the table from the young woman.

“So you worked it out then,” Kate replied, staring down at her hands.

“Yes, I worked out that your boyfriend is your father’s favourite mad scientist experiment and the reason you want him locked up is so your father can’t control him anymore,” Peter sighed.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t find out. I was hoping that he could go to prison and help you take down my father. But now he will become a slave, I need you to promise me he will be taken care of and not just thrown to the wolves,” Kate pleaded with him, her hands embracing his. Peter could swear that she was cuffed when he walked in. However this fact made his decision clear, she could be trusted.

“I promise, I’ll look after him,” Peter nodded and they discussed the plan again.

 

Peter stood in front of the screen watching for any sight of the con man. Kate had agreed to lure him out and he had been told that she wold be here. There was no way that Neal would turn down this opportunity to see his lover even if he was suspicious of the circumstances. That was their plan anyway. “I have eyes boss,” a member of the SWAT team hissed over the comms, they were on the ground monitoring the perimeter and Peter was based on the second floor of the warehouse. Peter spotted Neal as he walked in. The con was wearing a round necked t-shirt that exposed the network of silver lines resting just underneath his skin, snaking up the back of his neck and disappearing under his hair. So it was true, James Bonds was a Mut. And they had him in their sight. “Everyone move!” Peter shouted as Kate engaged their target. The team swarmed round Neal with Peter at the head and Neal met his eyes with a remorseful smile. “Thank you Peter,” he smiled, offering his hand before they could be cuffed. Peter shook it with a nod, it had been a good game.

 

Peter tried to get Neal out of the system as fast as possible. He had talked to Hughes and Bancroft and they agreed that Neal could be a great asset for the White Collar crimes department; he had an outstanding knowledge of art and crime as well as being able to see as a Mut and a human. However the training centre refused to release Neal into their custody without giving him the appropriate training. Because Neal hadn’t been trained, he hadn’t been programmed like the rest and they were going to have to poke around in his programming to fix it. To be honest Peter didn’t want Neal reprogramming but they were assured that he would still have all the knowledge they needed and it was against the law to own a slave that had not been trained in the traditional manner. He was going to have to wait.

 

It was a year before Neal was released into his custody. He was going to have to live with them but Elizabeth was determined that he would not be treated like the Muts that her clients owned. Peter stood in front of the facility waiting for Neal to emerge. He had a chip that worked as a tracker and a block on his powers. It was known that Dr Moreau gave all his experiments some special power but no one could work out what Neal’s was and he refused to tell anyone. Peter was sure he would find out soon but he really wasn’t that bothered at the moment. “Nice to see you again,” Neal smiled as he approached the car and Peter returned the smile.

“Same to you.”


End file.
